Collection and disposal of pet droppings is a constant problem, especially in metropolitan areas. In crowded cities, playgrounds, parks, sidewalks, curbs and even suburban and rural areas, it is a continuing and frequently emotional area of conflict between pet owners, people who do not own pets and are not sympathetic, and authorities. Many local laws require the removal or collection of such material. This sets property owners, officials, pet owners and the general public against each other.
Not only is it a continuing problem for pet owners to clean up after their pet while walking them, it is often inconvenient, impractical or impossible for dog owners who do not have fenced in yards to routinely walk their dogs, either because of inclement weather, poor health, etc. Thus, there is a need for a device which facilitates collection and disposal of a pet's waste materials.
The prior art has suggested various devices designed to facilitate collection and disposal of pet droppings. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,903 teaches a device which uses a collar encircling a pet's neck attached to a back strap which has leg and body straps which fasten to an elaborate tail-encircling assembly having a disposable pouch precisely retained by an annular open ring. This constitutes an elaborate, expensive and precision-requiring assembly that would be more practical if worn by a dog the majority of the time in view of the multiple fitments, adjustments, straps and buckles.
As the prior art has failed to provide a satisfactory solution to this problem, there has been a continuing need for a simpler, cheaper and more reliable device. The present invention provides one such solution.